1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for guiding an elongate article such as a tape, particularly a surface-type fastener having engagement elements such as loops or hooks projecting from a foundation fabric piece.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Japanese Patent Publication No. 57-43 discloses a guide device for guiding an elongate article such as a tape, the guide device having a single cylindrical guide roll rotatable for guiding and feeding the elongate article through frictional contact therewith. As disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication Nos. 51-47102 and 56-52563, another known device for guiding and feeding an elongate article includes two upper and lower cylindrical guide rolls disposed parallel to each other. The elongate article is gripped between and fed by the guide rolls as they rotate. Since these cylindrical guide rolls have smooth circumferential surfaces, the elongate article guided thereby tends to move transversely back and forth on the guide rolls in the axial direction thereof, and hence to be fed in an undulated path across the guide rolls. Where a plurality of parallel elongate articles are guided by a pair of cylindrical guide rolls of the conventional design, adjacent ones of the elongate articles are apt to overlap each other because they fluctuate laterally on the guide rolls.
To solve the above problem, there has been proposed a guide device comprising a guide roll having a plurality of guide grooves for receiving and guiding a plurality of elongate articles, respectively, along their corresponding straight paths, while avoiding mutual overlapping interference between adjacent ones of the elongate articles (see Japanese Patent Publication No. 50-25495). The guide grooves are defined by distance-adjusting pieces alternating with roll elements projecting radially outwardly beyond the distance-adjusting pieces. For guiding elongate articles of different widths, the width of each of the guide grooves must be changed by replacing the distance-adjusting pieces to meet the width of the new elongate articles.